


A Prison Like No Other

by Joshatron



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Animal Attack, Attacked by wildlife/daemons, Blood and Gore, Captured by Nifheim, Confusion, Fainting, Free day, Friendly Fire, Having To Fight Through A Severe Injury To Either Save The Guys Or Save Himself, Hurt/Comfort, HurtNoctWeek, Impalement, Near Drowning, Passing Out, Poison, Ring of the Lucii, Serious Injuries, Stasis, Status Effects, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-25 09:15:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13831113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joshatron/pseuds/Joshatron
Summary: Noctis has been separated from his friends and captured by Niflheim. He must escape and find his way back, as well as survive the obstacles ahead of him.Written for HurtNoctWeek





	1. Inprisonment

**Author's Note:**

> Summary: Separated from his friends, Noctis must escape his cell whilst keeping himself grounded.
> 
> Word count: 795

If he focused really hard, Noctis could pretend he was lying in his bed in Insomnia with his curtains drawn, rather than on the floor of a cold, dark cell. He could pretend that his ribs ached from laughter; that his body was just shivering from the cold; that he had just had his ass handed to him, in training.

But he couldn’t.

He needed to keep a grip on reality. They would come for him. His friends were coming. The Crownsguard were coming. No matter what his captors tried to make him believe or tortured him with; they were coming. He needed to cycle through everything for when he sees Cor after his rescue.

A large crowd somehow separated him from his friends (possibly an entire orchestration). The flow of the mob pushed him back towards an alley before some hands grabbed him and pulled him in. Pain exploded from his temple before he had the chance to see his assailants and he woke up in a cell. He was beaten for information and tortured in experiments. In the beginning, they made him fight beasts, then MTs, and now they expected him to fight daemons.

Head: Possible concussion from kidnapping.  
Ribs: broken from beatings – pipe used.  
Ankle: sprained from restraining tackle – ran over it, possibility of breaking if not careful.  
Shoulder: dislocated during restraining – arm forced too far back.  
Shivers: excessive use of electrocution, also possible side effect of experiments on crystal.  
Bites: from beasts that got too close – low risk of infection.  
Cuts: MT weapons – mostly assassins’ daggers nicking his arms.

Noctis was certain he wasn’t missing anything. He’d been going through this in his head every time he woke up and whenever he felt like he was slipping. Even though he could no longer feel his mind slipping, his body felt like it was free falling. _Oh. Oh gods. No. Don’t jerk. He couldn’t jerk. Please, no._

A strangled cry struggled its way past Noctis’ lips as his muscles spasmed. How long had he been there now? He would never admit it, but he could feel moist tracks leak down his cheeks. Keeping himself as still as possible, he let out a small sob. No-one had come for him yet. He was in so much pain. Why couldn’t it stop?! Why couldn’t it end?! Gods… he just wanted it to end. Maybe he could just heal himself a small bit. His bones might heal wrong but there’s still hope he would be able to escape and meet his friends halfway.

He couldn’t give up like this!

While not the most experienced self-caster, Noctis tried his best anyway. Slowly sitting himself up, he could feel his muscles twitch as the healing magic seeped through his skin and coursed through his body. Without tiring himself out too much, the prince stopped once he was healed enough and used the wall to stand. It was painful but manageable.

Limping away from the door of his cell, Noctis summoned a fire spell he had stored from before his capture and threw it at his escape’s blockade before turning around to shield his face. The door gave way and the prince hobbled out as fast as his ankle would let him and was met with a peculiar sight.

_Where were all the guards?_

Unless there was an ambush waiting to happen, Noct wasn’t going to look this gift horse in the mouth. Taking off, he ‘ran’ to where he felt the exit was, almost feeling like he was being guided by a little voice in his head. A deep ache settled within himself but he pushed onwards regardless. He needed to get to his friends. He was so close to just warping out of the place once he could see light.

It had been so long since he was last outside, the fresh air attacking the stuffiness of the prince’s lungs as he hacked and gasped. But he had to continue on. It would take a while to get back to Insomnia, but at least it still looked like he was in Lucis. Maybe in the Cleigne area? If his memory served him right, there were some wildlife habitats nearby. He made a mental note to try and avoid the areas as much as possible as he couldn’t just stay on the road or hitchhike.

Summoning his phone, Noctis pressed the lock button to unlock it and call Ignis – only to find it seemed to have turned itself off. Holding the button did nothing either. So, great. He had a dead phone and was practically dead on his feet. Nice. Sending his phone back into the Armiger, Noctis set off in the direction of their original destination – Cape Caem – blissfully unaware of the hungry growls from behind.


	2. Ambush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis has to make it to the nearest haven before sundown without attracting attention to himself. Taking the scenic route probably isn't the best idea in the world and leaves him in more trouble than he should be, given his current condition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 1415

Fate _really_ had a tendency to be cruel, didn’t it?

First, the crystal declared he was ‘The Chosen King’ when he was five, then he was almost murdered and left in a coma by a daemon at eight, then Niflheim attacked Tenebrae, capturing Luna and almost killing himself and his father, then Insomnia fell and his dad was murdered when he was twenty. Now he had been kidnapped and tortured by Niflheim, and then he was ambushed by a pack of Havocfangs.

Thanks, Bahamut.

His body ached with exertion as he swung his sword in an effort to defend himself from the beasts. Warping away didn’t work as the pack would always advance on him further, so he used the extra distance to spin and throw a fire spell at them. With all but one of the pack taken out, Noctis used his warp-strike to finish the battle.

Panting, Noctis’ world tilted to the side as his legs gave out, leaving him in the middle of a field of corpses. Gods, he was so tired. He couldn’t sleep. Not yet. Against his body’s protests, Noctis pushed himself up and continued on. There had to be a haven nearby. The sun was going to set soon. He needed to get there at the very least. Continuing on, he avoided Spiracorn territory. Come on. Have you _seen_ their horns??

He carefully climbed a small mound at the roadside to gain his bearings and spotted a small shack on one of the other sides of the road. Hopefully he could get in and stay there for a while. After checking that no cars would be coming any time soon, he crossed over. With his ankle aching, he limped around the small building in search of the door. Once found, he tried to twist the knob and open it but to no avail. He had no choice but to continue on.

Noctis knew this road. One end of the fork lead to Old Lestallum, a place where he would attract attention and couldn’t afford to stay. The other allowed him to bypass the small town. Choosing the wrong path would mean taking longer to get to a haven. And of course, Ignis had the map. Releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding, he chose right. Because right was right, right? Anyway.

Noctis didn’t dare to stop at any other huts, due to the assumption that they would all be locked, and he couldn’t afford to waste any more time. Especially not as the sky stared to grey over. Gladio had the tent in his section of the Armiger, so that meant Noct was going to get soaked no matter what.

Even if he did have access to Gladio’s section, the others might have needed the equipment. He could survive without. Even if there was a chill wind beginning to pick up.

He groaned as he came towards a break in the land; a ravine stood between him and the closest haven. If his memory served him right, Tabby’s Tackle Shack was around there. He couldn’t afford to let her see him, and there was no way he would be able to climb the steep incline of the concrete.

Again, thanks, Bahamut.

Getting as close to the incline as he dared, Noctis summoned his sword and warped up into the air before warping onto the level ground, sword disappearing back into the ether. He tumbled in his landing, ending up sprawled awkwardly and having to hold in a cry of pain. He would be lucky if his lip even made it out alive.

He crawled towards the ledge and allowed himself to roll down the other side, coming to rest as his back slammed into the metal railing. Pain shot through his whole body. Oh gods, he couldn’t breathe. He stayed there a few minutes to collect himself before thinking about moving. Once the pain finally began to subside, he held onto the railing and pulled himself up. He certainly had Bahamut’s favour, all right.

Looking around, he saw no choice but to warp across the gap. Just had to be careful he didn’t end up in stasis. He wasn’t ready for that yet. He limped off to the right, vaguely remembering the fishing location being there. The extra distance ought to help him bridge the gap. Heh. ‘Bridge’.

Summoning his sword again, he threw it diagonally upwards before warping after it. He then threw it over to the other side. That was all he could manage before his vision swam and panic set in as he realised he would actually be swimming in a moment.

The impact was more painful than it had **any** business being. His limbs flailed as he fought to return to the surface, lungs burning with the need to breathe. His arms knocked against some hard structures and he held on for dear life as his arms screamed. He pulled himself up and gasped painfully for air as he hugged his arms around the grey-brown thing in front of him.

Vision returning, he recognised the triangular shapes he could see from the other side. With the current remnants of his strength, he pulled himself around and climbed atop the next one before carefully lowering himself and grabbing onto the last one. He was almost there! Pulling himself around, he crawled until he could rest his head on (somewhat) dry land. He was soaked to the bone, the chill wind had picked up, and at some point during his battle, the sky opened up.

This was a great day.

His grip on reality was lessening again. He couldn’t pull himself back. He couldn’t. There was no-

A large crowd somehow separated him from his friends (possibly an entire orchestration). The flow of the mob pushed him back towards an alley before some hands grabbed him and pulled him in. Pain exploded from his temple before he had the chance to see his assailants and he woke up in a cell. He was beaten for information and tortured in experiments. In the beginning, they made him fight beasts, then MTs, and then they expected him to fight daemons. He escaped after trying to heal himself. He ran into a pack of Havocfangs and struggled to fight them off but managed it anyway. After a long trek, he had to cross the ravine without anyone seeing him. He fell into the water and fought to escape. At some point, a chill wind picked up and the sky opened.

Head: Possible concussion from kidnapping.  
Ribs: broken from beatings – pipe used.  
Ankle: sprained from restraining tackle – ran over it, possibility of breaking if not careful.  
Shoulder: dislocated during restraining – arm forced too far back.  
Shivers: excessive use of electrocution, also possible side effect of experiments on crystal.  
Bites: from beasts that got too close – low risk of infection.  
Cuts: MT weapons – mostly assassins’ daggers nicking his arms.  
Scratches: Havocfang attack – seems shallow.

Noctis gasped painfully, as his brain reconnected with his body. He needed to move. **_NOW_**. The sun was already looking to set and he was nowhere near a haven. Pushing himself up yet again, Noct staggered up the hill and towards the road. Even with the height, he couldn’t spot a haven anywhere. Continuing across the road, he slowly made his way up the mound in front of him. His shoes lost traction with the ground as mud gave way and he fell heavily. Biting back cries of pain, he forced himself back up. He needed to do this.

After a few more falls and exhausting climbs, the prince could finally see the tell-tale smoke of a haven. Spurred on, he stumbled down rocky declines and towards the glowing cyan runes. He could almost ignore the bubbling sounds just off to the side, but curiosity got the better of him and his blood went cold.

It was dark.

Some more sickening sounds bubbled up from the ground around him and it took every inch of his will not to lose his composure and throw up. **_WHY?!_** He was almost there!! It was either fight or die, and Noctis knew which option he’d rather take. Though given his condition, there was no guarantee that wouldn’t change.

Despite everything in his being screaming at him to run, Noctis summoned his sword and stood his ground. He was focused as the Bussemand hopped up to him, rearing its fist, until a strange glint on his finger caught his attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hinted 2 future chapters here ;)


	3. Struggles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Ring of the Lucii somehow in hand, the daemons aren't Noctis' only enemies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 1020

The shock of the daemon’s hand bouncing off a shield of light was nothing compared to the shock that ricocheted through Noctis’ body as he flinched in fear. He dropped to the ground, panting as the ring’s protect spell repelled the daemons’ attacks and sapped away at his strength. If this continued, he’d have nothing left.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he heard whispers calling to him, telling him to use the ring. With the grit of his teeth, Noctis focused everything into a radial storm, blowing back the daemons as hard as he could. His body almost gave out in that instant. Oh, how much he wanted to just give in.

As he got up, raised his arm and felt the magic in the air gather into the ring. It was somewhat sickening but a voice told him it would save him. As the ring started to fill up, all connection was cut off as a sharp pain pierced through his gut and Noctis no longer felt the ground beneath his feet. Wait, what? Doubling over of the pain, his hands flew to his stomach and held onto the offending object there and-

Oh.  
That felt like a lot of blood.

Risking a glance down, everything in Noctis went cold. A Yojimbo had skidded up to him and impaled him on his sword. Judging by the sheer amount of pain, the sword had run him through completely and gravity was trying to take effect, making him slip further down the bloodied weapon. He would be lucky if he walked away from this.

He screamed out in pain as he felt the sword suddenly rip out of him and he hit the ground, rolling away from the runes of safety. Great. He was just loving life right now. He had to get up and finish this asap.

Now standing, his arm raised above him as energy gathered into the ring on his finger. The sheer force of the magic left him with his feet off the ground as pain crawled from his hand to his shoulder, up his neck and across his chest. It was as if he was being burned alive. But he couldn’t stop. Something wouldn’t let him stop. Even as the ring pulled him around and “Alterna” was whispered through the air.

Then there was screaming. Pained sounds magnified around him as daemons were dragged into the reality tear he created. As a loud boom echoed through his ears, he dropped to the ground and lay there. It was then Noctis realised _he_ was screaming. Fighting to remain conscious, he forced himself up and crawled to the fire on the haven. Everything went black as a jolt ran through his body.

Pain exploded from his temple before he had the chance to see his assailants and he woke up in a cell. He was beaten for information and tortured in experiments. In the beginning, they made him fight beasts, then MTs, and then they expected him to fight daemons. He escaped after trying to heal himself. He ran into a pack of Havocfangs and struggled to fight them off but managed it anyway. After a long trek, he had to cross the ravine without anyone seeing him. He fell into the water and fought to escape. At some point, a chill wind picked up and the sky opened. He ran into daemons before he could reach the haven and suddenly found his father’s ring on his finger. After being interrupted and stabbed by a Yojimbo, he used Alterna. He was left drained and in severe pain after using it. Once he reached the haven, he blacked out, unable to assess himself further.

Head: Possible concussion from kidnapping.  
Ribs: broken from beatings – pipe used.  
Ankle: sprained from restraining tackle – ran over it, possibility of breaking if not careful.  
Shoulder: dislocated during restraining – arm forced too far back.  
Shivers: excessive use of electrocution, also possible side effect of experiments on crystal.  
Bites: from beasts that got too close – low risk of infection.  
Cuts: MT weapons – mostly assassins’ daggers nicking his arms.  
Scratches: Havocfang attack – seems shallow.  
Winded: force of the Lucii Ring.  
Stomach: stabbed by a Yojimbo – could be fatal.  
Unknown: Ring of the Lucii’s magic.

When Noctis came to again, a dull ache had set itself deep inside his bones. Gods, he hoped this wouldn’t happen often. A cough bubbled up from his lips and the metallic taste of iron splattered the inside of his mouth as blood leaked from his abdomen. Giving himself a few more moments, he rolled onto his front and pushed himself up a few inches. The sun was rising and his clothes, while still damp, clung to him, terrifyingly so around stomach. How long had he been out for?? With a tight groan, he sat on his legs and cast cure on himself again. The spell was probably doing more harm than good at this point but he needed to get moving.

Finally up again, Noctis continued on his path, coming closer to a stream of water a few yards away from the road. Further on down, he could see an imperial fort. He couldn’t have been going in circles… could he…? No, this one looked different. As he followed the road, he switches sides when no cars were approaching so as to gain the bushes up ahead as cover. If he was correct, the Maidenwater ought to have been nearby.

The trek felt like it was taking hours, not to mention the scorching sun that beat down on his broken body. He was sweating because of the sun, not because he was sick and caught a chill. But by Ifrit’s balls, he couldn’t wait to sleep in a comfortable bed again, surrounded by his friends. That would have to wait until he found them. Or they found him. Whichever.

Reigning in his focus, a quiet whine was the only warning he got before a Havocfang pounced upon him, followed by familiar voices, the sound of gunfire, and a sudden pain in his shoulder followed by a sickeningly warm feeling dripping down his arm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two hints here again. ;)


	4. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis finds his friends, but not all is as it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 1065
> 
> There is vomiting in this chapter. If you don't like that sort of content, head down to the comments and I'll fill you in on what happens.

Things were getting ridiculous at this point. His friends knew well enough not to spar with him while he was injured, but just because he suddenly turned up while they were fighting Havocfangs (seriously, why were they all over Cleigne?!) was no reason for them to have a celebratory battle. Not that they actually partook in that sort of thing.

Still, their movements were off. Like, _really_ off. Ugh, Come on, Noct. In the middle of fending off three attackers was not an appropriate time to zone out. He could do this. Dodge Gladio, Stun-strike Prompto and—

An intense, concentrated pain exploded in his lower back as Noctis turned to face Ignis. The older man had never attacked him so far as to intentionally hurt him. And the look in his eyes. The pure hatred that radiated from them, almost as if he had taken—

Confusion.  
Oh gods, they were confused!

Wrenching himself free, Noctis pushed Ignis away as hard as he could before turning around to warp, only to run right into Gladiolus’s shield. He landed painfully on his back as his vision whited out for a brief moment. As the world came back to him, Noctis let out a surprised yelp before rolling out of the way of Gladio’s broadsword. He did not fancy being cleaved today. He had to escape – and fast. His best friends in the whole world would kill him if he didn’t, and there would be nothing any of them could do to stop it.

He was eternally thankful for the severe decrease in co-ordination that confusion inflicted as he barely managed to dodge an attack that would have left him more than winded. He continued on, warping to gain distance on his confused friends. As he stumbled, a dagger flew right where his head would have been. Too close. And they were still tailing him. Gods, by the looks of things, the status effect was really potent. All he could now do was run and hide until the effect wore off.

What a wonderful day.

 

* * *

 

 

Running across the rocky beaches was hell. The burning pain in his lungs was hell. Using magic felt like hell.

Everything felt like _fucking_ hell.

He’d finally managed to make his friends lose his trail by warping around a decently sized boulder and keeping his pained gasps and groans quiet. Why couldn’t he just sleep? Slowly extracting himself from his rocky support, Noctis’ vision whitened as he immediately fell into a tree, biting down on his fist to not let his friends hear him. This sucked. He let the cooling heal magic wash over him, his senses blissing out before he was dragged back to reality as he doubled over and vomited, not needing to look to know there was blood mixed in with the bile.

He did _not_ need to go to a hospital. He would be fine. Get to Caem, heal up, and go.

He rested his head against the bark of the tree until he felt steady again and continued on down the path with a small limp. Of course, his leg was starting to give out. Cor had better let him relax after this.

Noctis’ mind zoned out briefly and he almost ended up wandering past Telghey Haven. He dragged himself up the slope and collapsed to the ground with a grunt. To call this the worst day ever would be a severe understatement. It was almost like some angsty child looking to torture him was writing out his life. He scoffed softly at the thought. Conspiracy theories were Prompto’s territory. Besides, he was just busy dying slowly. Something inside him was failing but he didn’t have the heart to care what. It would be funny if it was his heart. The irony would kill him. Literally.

Pain exploded from his temple before he had the chance to see his assailants and he woke up in a cell. He was beaten for information and tortured in experiments. In the beginning, they made him fight beasts, then MTs, and then they expected him to fight daemons. He escaped after trying to heal himself. He ran into a pack of Havocfangs and struggled to fight them off but managed it anyway. After a long trek, he had to cross the ravine without anyone seeing him. He fell into the water and fought to escape. At some point, a chill wind picked up and the sky opened. He ran into daemons before he could reach the haven and suddenly found his father’s ring on his finger. After being interrupted and stabbed by a Yojimbo, he used Alterna. He was left drained and in severe pain after using it. Once he reached the haven, he blacked out, unable to assess himself further. Very soon, he came across his friends who had been afflicted with confusion and was further injured by them. After getting away, he vomited blood hobbled his way to a haven.

Head: Possible concussion from kidnapping.  
Ribs: broken from beatings – pipe used.  
Ankle: sprained from restraining tackle – ran over it, possibility of breaking if not careful.  
Shoulder: dislocated during restraining – arm forced too far back – shot by Prompto.  
Shivers: excessive use of electrocution, also possible side effect of experiments on crystal.  
Bites: from beasts that got too close – low risk of infection.  
Cuts: MT weapons – mostly assassins’ daggers nicking his arms.  
Scratches: Havocfang attack – seems shallow.  
Winded: force of the Lucii Ring – later by Gladio.  
Stomach: stabbed by a Yojimbo – could be fatal – vomited blood so not healed fully?  
Unknown: Ring of the Lucii’s magic.  
Lower back: stabbed by Ignis – kinda deep.  
Heart: probably dying.

By the time he recollected himself, the sun was ready to set and he was lying in a small pool of blood. Spitting out the contents of his mouth, he wiped a dribble of blood from his chin and forced himself up. If his friends were still confused – which he doubted – they would easily find him there. If he came across daemons again, he would actually cry. But luckily, he still had the—

The ring.  
Where was the ring?! He didn’t even feel it slip off!  
Okay, yeah, to be fair, he shouldn’t have even had it in the first place.

Feeling sicker than he should have, Noctis found himself turning right back around and returning to the haven. He may have been stubborn, but he wasn't stupid. Tonight was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reference to the next chapter this time around.
> 
> Did you like the little fourth wall break? ;)  
> Maybe I should try for a fourth wall break inside a fourth wall break. You know? Sixteen walls.


	5. Ailment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back on the haven, Noct fights his body to survive the night. He receives help from an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 1319
> 
> This chapter has been posted early because I have school today and wouldn't be able to post until after 4pm GMT at the latest.

He was too cold. Too cold despite the itchy cloth he took from the parking area and despite the fire he had barely managed to set up. But at the same time, he was too hot. His face and back burned with heat. He didn’t understand. Unless his body was poisoning him to get him to stop or… Ignis probably used Venom Fang on him.

Noctis groaned in displeasure and discomfort. How long was this going to go on?

His eyes remained on the fire as his lungs struggled to pull in air. The stars watched as their so called ‘champion’ suffered on the ground below. He pulled the sheet around him closer and brought his knees up. Against his efforts, a broken sob broke free from the prince’s throat. He was so tired. There was little to no strength left within him, what with the sickness running rampant within him. Muscles tense, he coughed, unable to breathe properly and even get air into him. Was this how he was going to die? Poisoned, wounded and alone on a haven?

Noctis hadn’t realised he’d passed out until he noticed the dull warmth spreading within him. He blinked painfully, having gone under with them left open. With blurred vision, he hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary until a squeak pierced his ears. Something about it seemed familiar but he just couldn’t place it.

That was, until a blob of white fur pounced into his vision. As his eyes fought to focus, the blur continued to squeak. His hand struggled to reach out for it as its name danced upon the tip of his tongue. Speaking of tongues, it reached down and tentatively licked his hand. He reached up, hand barely missing the little ruby horn on its head.

“Carbuncle…” he whispered, voice hoarse. The little Astral squeaked, seeming glad that Noctis recognised it. It squeaked again, causing him to wince. “Phone’s dead, little buddy… can’t understand you…” His eyes drooped shut but Carbuncle squeaked angrily at him and licked his face. In response, it got a high-pitched keening noise from him as he rolled onto his back. He groaned suddenly and his muscles tensed. Something felt wrong. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t—

Pain exploded from his temple before he had the chance to see his assailants and he woke up in a cell. He was beaten for information and tortured in experiments. In the beginning, they made him fight beasts, then MTs, and then they expected him to fight daemons. He escaped after trying to heal himself. He ran into a pack of Havocfangs and struggled to fight them off but managed it anyway. After a long trek, he had to cross the ravine without anyone seeing him. He fell into the water and fought to escape. At some point, a chill wind picked up and the sky opened. He ran into daemons before he could reach the haven and suddenly found his father’s ring on his finger. After being interrupted and stabbed by a Yojimbo, he used Alterna. He was left drained and in severe pain after using it. Once he reached the haven, he blacked out, unable to assess himself further. Very soon, he came across his friends who had been afflicted with confusion and was further injured by them. After getting away, he vomited blood and hobbled his way to a haven. He lost a good few hours after passing out and as he was about to leave after waking, the ring was missing and he felt unwell. He searched the Malmalam Thicket parking area for items and brought a sheet back to use as a blanket. Some sort of poison or infection seemed to be coursing through his system and Carbuncle appeared out of nowhere.

Head: Possible concussion from kidnapping.  
Ribs: broken from beatings – pipe used.  
Ankle: sprained from restraining tackle – ran over it, possibility of breaking if not careful.  
Shoulder: dislocated during restraining – arm forced too far back – shot by Prompto.  
Shivers: excessive use of electrocution, also possible side effect of experiments on crystal.  
Bites: from beasts that got too close – low risk of infection.  
Cuts: MT weapons – mostly assassins’ daggers nicking his arms.  
Scratches: Havocfang attack – seems shallow.  
Winded: force of the Lucii Ring – later by Gladio.  
Stomach: stabbed by a Yojimbo – could be fatal – vomited blood so not healed fully?  
Unknown: Ring of the Lucii’s magic.  
Lower back: stabbed by Ignis – kinda deep.  
Heart: probably dying.  
Entire body: probably poison – felt like shit

The next thing Noctis was aware of was that he was now on his side instead of his back. The next thing was that there was a warmth on his upper back. The back of his head ached like a motherfucker. What the hell happened?

He chose not to break the silence, however, finding that his body was too weak to do so anyway. It felt like his magic was burning up, trying to fight the poison. What he wouldn’t do for a drink of water right now. He lay there and focused on the heat against his back. It seemed to press into him with a set rhythm – breathing? It was probably ~~hopefully~~ Carbuncle.

After focusing on the little Astral’s breathing for what was probably a few minutes, Noctis realised his body was pretty sore. Probably a bit more than after he was attacked by the daemons. And actually? His head ached something awful. It was like he’d gone and bashed it against something either repeatedly or with a lot of strength. He hoped it was just an after effect of his magic burning up. But with the rhythmic pressure on his back, Noctis found himself drifting off, finally getting a good night’s rest (somewhat).

When Noctis next awoke, the warm sun was beating down upon his exposed skin, but this time the heat was comfortable. He stretched himself out, bones popping with a pleasurable groan at the back of his throat. Throwing a hand up to protect his eyes to judge the sun’s position, he reckoned it was about ten if he was lucky. He had enough time to get to Caem – or at least, to the haven just before it. Gods he missed his dad’s car. His arm flopped back down and he lay in the sun for a few more minutes.

Carbuncle had disappeared. Shame, really. His little friend could have helped him along the way. Oh well. After his recovery sleep, he felt he could certainly handle himself now. A twinge stopped him though, and he remembered his injuries across the past days. He needed to check those. So he gently lifted his shirt and examined his upper body. Most things seemed to be healed now, however with quite a bit of scarring. His magic worked fast. All that after one night!

Dropping his shirt, he pushed himself up and headed back towards the main road. He’d need to be careful of cars once he was up there. He didn’t remember there being any pedestrian footways until the Leirity Seaside parking spot. A big, idealist, part of his mind hoped the rest of his little ‘adventure’ wouldn’t last much longer. While he would rather not admit it, he needed professional healing. The smaller, more rational, part of his brain knew he still had quite a bit of journey left.

As he moved, his ankle still twinged and his lungs burned, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. He painfully shuddered as he came up to the road, the sight of Fort Vaullerey not being entirely pleasant. Kind of ruined the view too. He was mildly surprised to see the footpath and crossed over as quick as he could, given his circumstances.

He was finally going to be reunited with his friends and he was finally going to get to relax. The thoughts spurred him on, blind to the dull, empty feeling inside him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One hint again, guys. We're over half-way through! Things seem to be looking up for Noct.


	6. Empty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Left between a rock and a hard place, Noctis finds out the hard way that maybe his magic isn't entirely miraculous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words: 969
> 
> Early post again, guys

Okay, so the journey was much longer than he thought. But he still had a lot of time. There was that. He chose to conserve his energy, opting to walk instead of warp. Noctis also reasoned that not using magic would attract less attention to him, meaning the journey would be smoother (in a sense). Ignis would be proud of him for his reasoning.

But seriously, he didn’t remember the road being this long. It was a good five hours before he even _touched_ Cape Shawe, nevermind saw the distinctive lighthouse of Caem! Six, he was ready to put his feet up seven days ago. But hey, it felt good to be feeling somewhat normal again. _Especially_ as he rounded Cape Shawe and saw the lighthouse in the distance. He was almost there! Yes! Soon he would be back to civilisation and he could rest for maybe four days. Five, if he pressed the right buttons. Noctis could still see the tell-tale bridge and tunnel quite a-ways-away. Hey, anything for motivation, even though his body was screaming and sobbing for rest. Quiet, you’ll get to rest soon.

Another two hours had passed before he reached the staircase down to Spelcray Haven. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, a magitek engine decided to pay him a little visit. Oh, lucky him. How much he wanted this. How nice of Niflheim to drop by. Okay, enough with the sarcasm. He was in no state to fight. Actually, he was in no state to dodge around the troops that would fall, and he couldn’t just turn around as they would see him immediately.

He watched as the ship unloaded its cargo; four axemen, three assassins and one of the big blue thingies. Iggy would know their name. Still, he needed to get out of there. He moved around the soldiers as fast as his legs could take him – which actually wasn’t that fast given his current state. He managed to reach the stairs with a few grazes and proceeded to hobble down them only to be met by a group of Seadevils.

Looks like his rest day would have to wait a little longer.

Summoning his sword, he threw it at the closest beast and warped after it. As he reached his target, his mind felt like it had been thrown against a wall. No. No, he could really do without this, thank you. Trying to warp away, it felt like his body was locking in protest, the pain soaring from his head, down his back and towards his limbs. Great. Great. Great. Great. Great. Wonderful!

While he was distracted, one of the Seadevils pounced upon him, knocking him over onto the ground. His back collided painfully, and he fought to wrestle the godsdamn thing off of him. Strangely, the others in the group seemed preoccupied with something else – maybe the soldiers followed him. Thanks, Niflheim. Once he got his good leg up, he kicked the Seadevil off him and moved to get up before a searing pain took hold of his leg. He screamed in agony, as he tried to warp away. Warp. Warp! _WARP_! The beast bit down harder in response to his flailing as it dragged him closer to the sea. Realising the danger, Noctis began kicking at the thing’s snout, praying to each and every god that it would let go soon.

It didn’t. And Noctis watched in disconnected horror as the ‘gator reared up to roll over. Ignis had informed them all of this manoeuvre: if a reptile had them for long enough, it would perform a ‘death spin’ in an attempt to tear off their leg, making them unable to run. If they were locked in that position, they needed to roll with the beast until it gave up. Sucking in a quick breath, Noctis rolled himself over in time with the Seadevil, feeling the tug between his pelvis and femur with every passing second.

Much to his relief, it finally gave up and tossed him to the side, in favour of helping its comrades with their enemies. After all, what would be the point in killing prey if something else was going to kill them afterwards? Noctis banished the sickening thought from his mind. He moved his leg without thinking let out a small cry, barely remembering where he was in time. Looking down, the amount of blood dripping from his trouser leg terrified him. He really needed medical attention now. Looking back, his only exit route was still blocked off by enemies.

Thanks, Bahamut.

Steeling himself, the prince used the nearby rocks to push himself up without putting weight on his injured leg. What a beautiful day. Summoning his Engine Blade, he used it as a crutch to make his way to the nearby haven. He really didn’t want to sacrifice a shirt, but he really needed to wrap up his leg whenever he got settled.

He carefully lowered himself by the higher area of the haven to give his aching back some support as he banished his sword and pulled up his trouser leg.  
…  
And pulled up his trouser leg.

Giving up due to the copious amounts of blood causing the fabric to stick, he summoned an extra shirt from his fatigues ensemble and wrapped it around his leg the best he could. It was going to have to do until he got to Caem. He was almost there. While the setting sun was behind him, the view of dusk from the haven was pretty breath taking: the endless expanse of sea, leading off to foreign countries. And somewhere out there, stood Altissia.

Unable to start a fire due to the stasis, he remained cold as he drifted off to the distant sounds of battle and the rumble of an airship nearby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a next chapter hint here (as usual), but this time it's a little vague. Can you catch it?


	7. Determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having been woken up by a new visitor, Noctis finds the determination to get to Caem. There's just one problem.
> 
> Or a few.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 1206
> 
> Once again, early post because school. :T

Waking up to a stinging sensation on his face wasn’t exactly pleasant. Waking up to his entire being aching wasn’t exactly pleasant either. What _was_ pleasant, however, was the strange warmth that radiated from beside him. A small groan escaped him as he body started to wake up more… which meant pain soon. Yay. If he was a masochist, that wouldn’t even be sarcasm.

A voice called out to him from nearby, footsteps indicating that the person was coming closer. They shook him and a high-pitched whine pierced through the air. Well he certainly was more awake now. But with this bout of wakefulness, he partially came to his senses and recognised the tone the person was using was commanding. Welp, too bad he couldn’t hear their words. Judging by the voice, the person was female… and also sounded quite familiar…

There was definitely no questioning it once Noctis received a slap to the face and a “Wakey, wakey, Your Highness”. Pulling his eyes open, he came face-to-face with the Dragoon herself – even if she was still blurry. “Finally,” she rolled her eyes as she sat back. When he paid attention to the sky, he noticed the sun was in a different position than it was when he fell asleep. Funny how  “Do you have to be such a trouble magnet, pretty boy?” Aranea looked back over to him, a small smirk on her face. Even so, he could still see some sort of worry etched into her face. It kind of reminded him of Ignis if he was honest.

“Death likes to follow me around sometimes,” he joked, unable to push more than a whisper from his lips. Closing his eyes again, he rested his head back. Something soft had been placed underneath his head, probably Aranea, and – wait, when did he get near the campfire? Eh, probably Aranea again. Speaking of, he felt a hand gently brush his bangs back and feel his forehead. Oh gods, her hand was so cool, he couldn’t help himself as he leaned into her touch. With a click of her tongue, she withdrew her hand.

“Listen up, kid. I’m not gonna carry your sorry ass to your friends, you’re gonna have to help me haul you there. While I’d rather take you to a hospital myself, a Niff ship isn’t exactly discreet. So come on.” She grabbed his hand and pulled. It felt like every nerve in his body had been ignited. He screamed out in pain, surprising the other so much she immediately dropped his hand as if she herself had been burned. A beat passed before he moaned from the back of his throat. “Shit. What the hell’d you do to yourself?”

Before the pain had even subsided, his mind went blank, blocking out everything as it recalled every detail he had noted, list of injuries included.

Pain exploded from his temple before he had the chance to see his assailants and he woke up in a cell. He was beaten for information and tortured in experiments. In the beginning, they made him fight beasts, then MTs, and then they expected him to fight daemons. He escaped after trying to heal himself. He ran into a pack of Havocfangs and struggled to fight them off but managed it anyway. After a long trek, he had to cross the ravine without anyone seeing him. He fell into the water and fought to escape. At some point, a chill wind picked up and the sky opened. He ran into daemons before he could reach the haven and suddenly found his father’s ring on his finger. After being interrupted and stabbed by a Yojimbo, he used Alterna. He was left drained and in severe pain after using it. Once he reached the haven, he blacked out, unable to assess himself further. Very soon, he came across his friends who had been afflicted with confusion and was further injured by them. After getting away, he vomited blood and hobbled his way to a haven. He lost a good few hours after passing out and as he was about to leave after waking, the ring was missing and he felt unwell. He searched the Malmalam Thicket parking area for items and brought a sheet back to use as a blanket. Some sort of poison or infection seemed to be coursing through his system and Carbuncle appeared out of nowhere. He passed out and Carbuncle had disappeared before he woke up. He then made his way to Cape Caem, being interrupted by magitek soldiers and fleeing towards Spelcray Haven. He was attacked by a group of Seadevils, one of which tried to tear his leg off before giving up and helping its buddies that were being attacked by the troopers. He hobbled to the haven and practically collapsed there before passing out.

Head: Possible concussion from kidnapping.  
Ribs: broken from beatings – pipe used.  
Ankle: sprained from restraining tackle – ran over it, possibility of breaking if not careful.  
Shoulder: dislocated during restraining – arm forced too far back – shot by Prompto.  
Shivers: excessive use of electrocution, also possible side effect of experiments on crystal.  
Bites: from beasts that got too close – low risk of infection.  
Cuts: MT weapons – mostly assassins’ daggers nicking his arms.  
Scratches: Havocfang attack – seems shallow.  
Winded: force of the Lucii Ring – later by Gladio.  
Stomach: stabbed by a Yojimbo – could be fatal – vomited blood so not healed fully?  
Unknown: Ring of the Lucii’s magic.  
Lower back: stabbed by Ignis – kinda deep.  
Heart: probably dying.  
Entire body: probably poison – felt like shit.  
Back: probably bruised to hell – hurt like hell.  
Leg: bleeding out – medical attention asap.

He came to with a dull ache in his body and a much more worried Aranea above him. He probably wasn’t going to remember this. Actually, as much as he wanted to be able to remember how much the woman could care for people, he would be happy with not remembering anything from the experience. The look disappeared as soon as she realised he was back with her.

He waited a few moments before he spoke. “I think I’m ready to get up now.” Despite giving his consent, Noctis could tell Aranea was slightly nervous about moving him. He fought to keep his sounds as quiet as possible so as to not startle her. He didn’t really want to be dropped. With more work than what should have been necessary, they got him up, his right arm slung over her shoulders with her left hand supporting his waist. Thankfully, she let him catch his breath first before they started moving. Fighting through this was going to be tough. He didn’t dare to even _think_ of situations so he couldn’t jinx their luck.

Thankfully, the battle between the Seadevils and infantrymen seemed to have ended long ago – probably by Aranea’s hand – so it was smooth crossing until they got to the hill. It was a little steep but he could make it if he hopped. A dull pain repeatedly shot up his leg with each thud as he ascended the hill. It was painful goings but they got there eventually.

Soon. Soon he would be reunited with his friends, and finally… finally he would stop suffering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No hints here folks. And we're almost at the end! I've really enjoyed this week and I hope you all enjoy the extra chapter I have in store for y'all.
> 
> It is, after all, the best part of angst. ;)


	8. Ultimatum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Almost at Cape Caem, Noctis gives one last push. As usual, life isn't always on his side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 1457

Of course, things weren’t going to be that easy. Of course, his body was eventually going to give after the ridiculous amount of healing he’d demanded of it. Of course, _every single little thing_ was coming to bite him in the ass. Swallowing the heavy tang in his mouth, Noctis pushed himself on.

A sudden feeling of weightlessness over came him and he barely felt Aranea’s hold on him tighten. His mind fogged over as breaths tore raggedly from his lungs. The gentle shaking to keep him awake elicited an intense fiery pain throughout his nerves causing him to need to scream but his sudden bout of weakness only permitted him to as so far as to groan lowly. As his knees buckled, he felt Aranea shift him – another groan- before setting him against what he assumed to be the wall of the tunnel due to the pressure on his back. He could feel drool slowly spilling from his lips as his head slumped down.

With a stinging sensation on his face, Noctis found himself returning to his body, finding the strength to meet Aranea’s gaze. He wiped the drool away, making himself slightly more presentable, only to freeze as a crimson glint caught his eye. That… wasn’t too good. They needed to get moving and fast. His body struggled to obey his commands, sluggishly wiping off the blood on his trousers before offering a hand up to Aranea. Only he was interrupted as a bout of coughs wracked through him, igniting his nerve endings. Her hand rested against his forehead and he unconsciously leaned into the touch.

She carefully pulled him up, commanding him to climb onto her back. Looked like she would be dragging his sorry ass in the end. He couldn’t stop himself from quietly giggling about that. Why was that funny? It wasn’t funny. Or maybe it was and he was being silly. Who knew? He didn’t.

As soon as they emerged from the tunnel, they were ambushed by a horde of Magitek troops, because of course they were. Making a quickfire decision, Aranea seemingly put Noctis down reluctantly before summoning her lance and throwing herself into the middle of battle. Obviously, kill them quicker so they can’t report her betrayal. She still needed to remain under the radar for now after all.

Everything felt so distant as he watched on. Sounds didn’t quite make it to his ears and most things went by unseen despite him staring. With the arrival of more troops, it was clear they were slowly being overrun. He needed to do something, and fast. Reaching up behind him, he used the railing to painfully pull and push himself up, making sure to keep as much weight off his injured leg as possible. He called to Aranea to run for cover as he tugged on the connection between himself and a certain Astral.

Soon enough, he felt a power he hadn’t felt in years course through his veins. _It hurt. Oh gods, it hurt._ Feeling a presence behind him, he turned around just as a giant, lilac hand grabbed him. He fought to breathe as Ramuh held up his mighty staff, collecting magic power as he drained Noctis’, before throwing it in the middle of the MTs, fizzling their circuits immediately. He coughed up blood as the Astral leaned forwards to put him back down. Once his feet met with solid ground, he immediately collapsed, gasping for air as his body spasmed every few seconds before his world started shaking. Quite frankly, he was terrified. He could see Aranea above him, head turned and mouth moving as if talking to someone. Then Ignis was there, the feeling of his face being cupped numbed by his withdrawal. Ignis was saying something. He saw him shout off to the side to someone else before returning his gaze back to Noctis’. As the prince’s body finally started to calm down, Ignis ran a gentle hand through his charge’s hair, careful of any injuries. His lips started moving again only this time he could hear him.

“Can you hear me, Noct?” A small nod. It was so good to hear his voice again. Noctis was so happy, tears prickled his eyes before they fell down his cheeks. Ignis, ever dutiful, wiped them away and carefully hushed him. “It’s okay, Noct. We’re here.” Noctis sobbed quietly, pain tearing through his body with each movement.

“It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.” He couldn’t breathe again. He coughed, almost splattering Ignis with blood, and cleared his airways. His breathing was panicked, eyes wide like a dear caught in headlights as Ignis held onto his hand. “Ignis, make it stop,” he begged.

Ignis hushed him again, rubbing a thumb across the back of his abused hand. The sigh that escaped him seemed like a mix between admiration and frustration. The man was trying his best to keep himself together. “Noct, you’ve so brave. You can do this. Stay with me; keep your eyes on me.” The older man seemed to be repeating those words, them not having any effect on him besides making him feel sleepier. A strange, detached sound started up – it sounded like a voice, but he had no idea what it was saying.

Pain exploded from his temple before he had the chance to see his assailants and he woke up in a cell. He was beaten for information and tortured in experiments. In the beginning, they made him fight beasts, then MTs, and then they expected him to fight daemons. He escaped after trying to heal himself. He ran into a pack of Havocfangs and struggled to fight them off but managed it anyway. After a long trek, he had to cross the ravine without anyone seeing him. He fell into the water and fought to escape. At some point, a chill wind picked up and the sky opened. He ran into daemons before he could reach the haven and suddenly found his father’s ring on his finger. After being interrupted and stabbed by a Yojimbo, he used Alterna. He was left drained and in severe pain after using it. Once he reached the haven, he blacked out, unable to assess himself further. Very soon, he came across his friends who had been afflicted with confusion and was further injured by them. After getting away, he vomited blood and hobbled his way to a haven. He lost a good few hours after passing out and as he was about to leave after waking, the ring was missing and he felt unwell. He searched the Malmalam Thicket parking area for items and brought a sheet back to use as a blanket. Some sort of poison or infection seemed to be coursing through his system and Carbuncle appeared out of nowhere. He passed out and Carbuncle had disappeared before he woke up. He then made his way to Cape Caem, being interrupted by magitek soldiers and fleeing towards Spelcray Haven. He was attacked by a group of Seadevils, one of which tried to tear his leg off before giving up and helping its buddies that were being attacked by the troopers. He hobbled to the haven and practically collapsed there before passing out. Aranea came to his rescue and helped him back up to the road and through the tunnel. After a quick break, they exited the tunnel and were ambushed by squads of magitek troops. He summoned Ramuh and felt a familiar rush of magic but it hurt. Ramuh obliterated the enemies but his body ended up spasming from the extertion – possibly.

Head: Possible concussion from kidnapping.  
Ribs: broken from beatings – pipe used.  
Ankle: sprained from restraining tackle – ran over it, possibility of breaking if not careful.  
Shoulder: dislocated during restraining – arm forced too far back – shot by Prompto.  
Shivers: excessive use of electrocution, also possible side effect of experiments on crystal.  
Bites: from beasts that got too close – low risk of infection.  
Cuts: MT weapons – mostly assassins’ daggers nicking his arms.  
Scratches: Havocfang attack – seems shallow.  
Winded: force of the Lucii Ring – later by Gladio.  
Stomach: stabbed by a Yojimbo – could be fatal – vomited blood so not healed fully?  
Unknown: Ring of the Lucii’s magic.  
Lower back: stabbed by Ignis – kinda deep.  
Heart: probably dying.  
Entire body: probably poison – felt like shit – strange magical phenomenon.  
Back: probably bruised to hell – hurt like hell.  
Leg: bleeding out – medical attention asap.  
Insides: bleeding – pneumonia?

He was slipping. Reality was slipping away from him and there was no way he could stop it. Ignis seemed panicked as he fought to keep Noctis awake. The last thing he was aware of before he fell was the sound of nature around him and a siren in the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double whammy, guys! Last chapter will hopefully be posted within an hour!


	9. Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally in the arms of his friends, Noctis couldn't have asked for anything more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 1130

The first thing Noctis was aware of was a soft, cooling breeze drifting through wherever he was. The brightness of the room bothered him though. He groaned softly, shifting in the bed and finding little to no pain as he moved, meaning he was either dead or it was a dream. While he wanted to see where he was, the bed was just so comfy, and he could ignore the light if he tried hard enough. A little someone had other plans for him though.

The call of his name pulled him from his sweet, sweet heaven. Great, now he’d have to face the waking world. Thanks. “Five more minutes,” he mumbled sleepily, burying his head into the oh-so-soft pillow beneath it. He could lose himself in this lack of pain. In fact- he actually was. The person beside him – who he thought might be Prompto - called him back into reality and he reluctantly complied, though not without a gentle swat in their general direction.

His best friend seemed really happy to see him awake as he opened his eyes. Though considering how long they’d been separated for, it shouldn’t have been surprising. If he was honest, he pretty much just wanted to sleep. Tilting his head to look around, he realised he was in the Cape Caem bedroom. Must have been out for a day then. Echoes of memories played across his mind but he was very thankful he couldn’t remember all of them. After his restful sleep, he didn’t want anything to ruin the moment.

“How are you feeling?” The prince sank into the mattress as Prompto asked his question, replying with a mumbled “better” as his eyes slipped closed. “Gods, I would hope so, Noct. You slept for ages and you were so out of it until we left Lestallum. It was pretty scary.” He cracked an eye open. Say what? Asking when they were in Lestallum while he stretched seemed to be a bad idea as someone of the colour drained from Prompto’s already pale face.

“You don’t remember?”

Shake.

“That… that might be kind of bad. I’m not sure. I think the doctor said to expect something like this after they found your knocks to your head but you were so out of it when you were awake, I never thought.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Noctis held up a hand, interrupting him. “I think I’m missing way more details here.” He paused, thinking. Then realisation dawned upon him. His voice was barely a whisper as he spoke. “Holy shit, I’m missing so many days…” He ran a hand through his hair, trying to recall the events. It was then that he felt a switch inside him.

Pain exploded from his temple before he had the chance to see his assailants and he woke up in a cell. He was beaten for information and tortured in experiments. In the beginning, they made him fight beasts, then MTs, and then they expected him to fight-

His shoulders were shaking.

Snapping out of his momentary trance, he looked over to a horrified Prompto. He swallowed thickly, unsure of whether or not he wanted to know what just happened. Now that he thought about it, he kept going through that whole monologue thing almost every time he passed out. The hell? Had he been reciting it out loud too?! Ugh, life was a mess.

The door to the room opened, a smooth voice travelling through the air with no hesitation that Noctis would wake up at the volume, as if the person had done so many times before. Only this time, Noctis was awake. Blue eyes met green and the older man startled if only for a few moments before the prince greeted him with a quiet “Hey, Specs”.

Ignis burst into action immediately, taking Noctis’ temperature, checking his bandages and checking the sling that Noctis had failed to notice. The prince groaned in mock annoyance, gently pushing Ignis away with an “I’m okay, Iggy, really”. The things that man did for him sometimes was absurd.

More voices filtered through the doorway as they grew closer, sounding like the other occupants of the house and Gladio. As soon as he stepped through the door, Gladio looked shocked at first, then relieved to see his friend was recovering. Iris was a completely different story, rushing into the room at the sight of him awake and throwing her arms around him with the exclamation of his nickname. Talcott, of course, called out “Prince Noctis” and ran to him side. Bless him. Noctis ruffled his hair and looked past the two youngest to see Dustin and Monica relieved to see him awake. As Cor walked in through the door, everyone else gave their leave (though Prompto was reluctant) with get well wishes, leaving the two of them alone.

There was an awkward silence that drew on way longer than he would have liked. Cor stared him down, making him want to squirm. With a sigh, the Marshall sat on the chair Prompto left by his bed. “You’re an idiot,” he said with a straight face. Tell him something he didn’t know. “Even so, you fought on to get here – completely illogically and irresponsibly – and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t proud you made it back to us.” He placed a gentle hand on Noctis’ head, carefully stroking his hair. “Good job, nephew.”

Noctis leaned into the touch as he fought back tears. He was finally reunited – though not entirely in one piece – and Cor was indulging in his embarrassing childhood idea. It brought back a nostalgic and homely feeling. Maybe Uncle Cor would indulge him with an old, forgotten, private activity that was a favourite of theirs?

The young prince shuffled over the best he could to clear some space, silently suggesting to him to get in. With a fake sigh of annoyance, the Marshall pulled off his boots and lay in the bed beside his nephew, draping his jacket over him to keep him warm. Noctis practically lay on top of him, being mindful of his still healing injuries as he snuggled into the heater that reminded him of his best friend. He drifted off to the gentle sea breeze filtering in from the window, accompanied by the rhythmic massage on his scalp. He might not have taken after old kings such as the Wise, the Tall, or the Clever, but he certainly took after his dad. While he was sure his dad’s old friends withered at the discovery of such recklessness being passed down, he was sure they were happy to see remnants of their old friend within his only son. And their happiness – along with the happiness of his friends – was all he could have asked for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you like the ending!
> 
> Hard to believe it's all over now.  
> Until the next story!

**Author's Note:**

> There will be hints to further chapters within current chapters so you can get a feel of what's going to happen next.  
> I decided to write my entries as a multichapter fic (there will be an extra 9th chapter btw


End file.
